The present invention relates to a drum pedal device used in the performance of drums such as a bass drum.
A pedal device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-212547 includes a base coupled to a bass drum, a pair of posts provided at the front end of the base, a pedal pivotally coupled to the rear end of the base, and a wheel coupled to the free end of the pedal with a chain belt. The pedal device further includes a beater attached to the wheel, a shaft, which horizontally extends from the wheel and is pivotally supported by the posts, a cam member fixed to an end of the shaft, and a coil spring.
The upper end of the coil spring is connected to the distal end of the cam member with a spring hook member. The lower end of the coil spring is hooked to a lower bracket provided on the outside of the posts. The pedal device is used in a state where the pedal and the beater are held at respective predetermined angular positions by the tension caused by pulling the upper and lower ends of the coil spring. When the pedal device is not used, the upper end of the coil spring is disengaged from the cam member. This allows the beater to be pivoted to the same portion as that of the pedal after the holding force applied to the pedal and the beater by the coil spring is eliminated. As a result, the beater is folded with respect to the pedal to facilitate storing and carrying of the pedal device.
Attaching and detaching the coil spring each time the pedal device is used is inconvenient to the user and is a burdensome operation. In addition, after the coil spring is disengaged from the cam member, the upper end of the coil spring becomes unfixed. This causes the coil spring to move to be brought into contact with the posts or the pedal when the pedal device is put away or carried, so that the surface of the posts or the pedal may be scratched. In addition, the coil spring may be lost after being disengaged from the cam member. For this reason, U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,847 discloses a pedal device in which the beater is foldable with respect to the pedal without disengaging the coil spring.
The pedal device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,847 includes a base, a pedal, and a cam coupled to the free end of the pedal with a strap belt. The pedal device further includes a beater attached to the cam, a shaft that horizontally extends from the cam, a cylindrical housing that pivotally holds the shaft, and a rocker arm fixed to an end of the shaft that is opposite to the cam. In addition, the pedal device includes a coil spring connected to the distal end of the rocker arm, and a spring arm to which an end of the coil spring that is opposite to the rocker arm is connected. The spring arm is attached to a side end of the housing that is adjacent to the rocker arm with a fixing bolt.
The pedal device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,847 allows the spring arm to be pivotal around its proximal end by loosening the fixing bolt. In addition, the beater can be pivoted to the same position as that of the pedal by pivoting the pedal and the beater in conjunction with pivoting of the spring arm. However, even when the spring arm and the beater are folded with respect to the pedal as described above, the tension of the coil spring does not change and is maintained during the use of the pedal device. As a result, even when the pedal device is not used, the fatigue of the coil spring progresses while the beater is folded with respect to the pedal, and thus the useful life of the coil spring is likely to be shortened.